Throughout the United States stroke remains the number one cause of lasting, serious disability and damage, and a leading cause of death among both men and women, and people of all ethnicities. Each year nearly 800,000 people suffer a stroke, and 140,000 of these die. Nearly 75 percent of these deaths occur in older adults aged 64 years or beyond. As a family caregiver these statistics can be unnerving, but they illustrate the importance of understanding stroke and what you can do to help your parent reduce their risk of suffering a first stroke or a recurrent stroke if they have already suffered such a medical incident.

There is no one way to prevent having a stroke and even those who do everything that they can to stay healthy may encounter one. However, there are some risk factors that your parent can address that can help to reduce their chances of a stroke and boost their health as they age in place.

Some lifestyle risk factors for stroke that your parent might have and can control include:

Eating an unhealthy diet or a diet that does not contain the nutrients that their body needs to thrive,

Consuming too many unhealthy components such as saturated fats, trans fats, and sodium,

Living a largely sedentary lifestyle or not getting adequate physical activity on a regular basis,

Being overweight or obese,

Smoking cigarettes or using tobacco in other forms,

Consuming an excess amount of alcohol, which can vary depending on the individual and their health concerns so it is important to discuss this issue with your parent's doctor and keep them to the amount that the doctor says is right for them, if any.

Being a family caregiver for an elderly adult can be extremely challenging, particularly if you are a member of the sandwich generation caring for both your aging parent and your children, or if you live at a distance from your parent and you are not able to be with them as often as you would like. Fortunately, if you are having difficulty managing your parent's needs and challenges, or simply feel that they would benefit from additional care and support, hiring a caregiver can help.

A caregiver provider can give your parent a personalized approach to care that ensures that their needs, limitations, and challenges are met in a way that is right for them, while also supporting their pursuit of a lifestyle that is active, engaged, and fulfilling. This can ease your stress and give you peace of mind, allowing you to focus your energy and attention in the most effective ways while also managing the other aspects of your life in the bets way possible.

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Caregivers in Arlington Heights IL

In this day and age, social media is everywhere. It seems that every company implores you to check them out on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, or favorite them on Instagram. This is an exceptionally useful tactic for spreading information and making people aware of your offerings, as well as finding those offerings that you need. What, however, about your role as a caregiver? Could using social media regularly really improve the efforts that you put forth for your aging parent, or the benefits that they get from this care? For those who are comfortable with the platforms and know how to use them effectively and correctly, the answer is yes.

Some of the ways that social media can help you to be a better caregiver include:

Simplifying help searches. Whether it is a company to manage your parent's lawn or a new doctor, you know that researching new services can be time consuming and frustrating. This is especially true if you are already busy caring for your parent, your children, and other obligations in your life. Using social media effectively enables you to find the services that you need without having to take a tremendous amount of time away from your efforts. This ensures that your parent gets what they need from you and from the services.

Update loved ones. As a caregiver it is likely that you have people ask you frequently how your parent is doing. This is even more likely if your loved one has recently been ill or has undergone a medical procedure. Managing frequent calls can make it seem like you are always on the phone and you may end up forgetting to tell someone something. Using social media enables you to provide thorough updates whenever necessary so that everyone gets the same information at the same time. In respect for your parent's privacy, set up private pages that are only accessible to authorized people. This ensures that only friends and family are able to read the information about your parent.

Stay in touch with your parent. If you are a distance caregiver it can be difficult to keep up with your parent as much as you would like to. You may feel as though you only get to check in on them occasionally, and if you try to call or they try to call you there is always the possibility that one of you will not be available. Social media enables you to stay in touch with a tech-savvy senior so that you can feel more connected to them and more confident about your care efforts. Social media enables you to post pictures of your children, send messages, and even leave videos for them to watch. That way they can check in on the family whenever it works for them and send back messages. If they have a home care provider, this care provider can also stay in touch with you to ensure you stay on the same page regarding their care.